The West Virginia Mountaineer Short Film Festival is back in 2024 with a four-day extravaganza from April 18-21. Hosted by the Digital Art and Animation area in the WVU School of Art and Design, this year's edition showcases 130 professionally crafted videos and animations from both regional and global creators. 

Alongside film screenings, attendees can participate in workshops, engage in an insightful panel discussion, and join artist Q&A sessions. Adding to the excitement there will be three live audio-visual performances. Spread across three venues in Morgantown - the Morgantown Art Party, the Canady Creative Arts Center, and the WVU Mountainlair - the festival promises an unforgettable weekend of experimental and multimedia art, film and creativity. All festival events are free and open to the public.

The festival commences on Thursday April 18 at 6 p.m. at Morgantown Art Party on Walnut St. featuring a selection of multimedia art works by current WVU students specializing in video and animation. Works will be on display throughout the evening.

The festivals’ competitive film and video screenings begin on Friday evening at the WVU Canady Creative Arts Center. Kicking things off at 8:00 p.m. is an eclectic showcase of 16 spectacular works from both regional and international artists working in multiple genres. The event opens with a recent animation by New York based artists Dean Winkler and John Sanborn called In C, Too, an animation created using generative images and AI algorithms combined with video of dancers shot on green screen and whose natural, human motion drives this mesmerizing animation. Another highlight from this opening set is the hilarious short film I Wet My Plants by Pittsburgh filmmaker Caroline Collins, as well as the equally funny character animation called Deer Heaven by Washington D.C. based animator David Malone about a family deer hunting expedition gone awry.

West Virginia University’s School of Art and Design will hold its semi-annual pottery sale on Wednesday, April 17 from 9 a.m. to 6p.m. in the Canady Creative Arts Center lobby. 

The event is an opportunity to own unique items, all handmade by students and faculty of the Ceramics program. In previous years, the sale was on Friday and Saturday, but this year it is mid-week.  

The Grammy Award-Winning Silkroad Ensemble will visit Morgantown for a one-night performance on April 24.  

Conceived by Yo-Yo Ma and led by artistic director Rhiannon Giddens, Silkroad strives to bring hope and healing to its listeners. Its programs encourage unity through the universal language of music while celebrating the history and uniqueness of each culture involved.  

The Book Exchange, a cornerstone of the Morgantown community for nearly a century, is helping to ensure that the West Virginia University Marching Band will fulfill its dream of participating in the 2024 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

With their $25,000 Day of Giving contribution and a continual merchandise collaboration, The Book Exchange has provided the Mountaineer Marching Band with immediate resources and enduring support for the band's journey.

West Virginia University School of Art and Design students explored the art of New York City over spring break. Professor Nichole van Beek led the graduate seminar to the Big Apple, where the group visited famous museums and spoke with accomplished artists.   

“It was exciting for me because I lived in NYC for 17 years and worked as an artist and art professor there, and this was my first chance to bring WVU students there and share places I love and have been inspired by for so long,” van Beek said.  

Shine up those glass slippers and get ready to have a ball at Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, performed live at the Canady Creative Arts Center (CCAC) April 18-21.  

The West Virginia University School of Theatre and Dance brings the Broadway version of this classic fairytale to life through its songs, dances, and spectacular storytelling.   

Dance Major, Minors in Entrepreneurship and Strategic Social Media

What does it take to preserve a legacy? Find out at West Virginia University's School of Theatre and Dance production of The Book of Will, premiering February 29 at the Canady Creative Arts Center.   

William Shakespeare wrote his famous plays in pieces, only putting them together when all the actors were on stage, in fear that someone would steal his work. When a botched version of Hamlet takes the stage after his death, the remaining King's Men decide to take matters into their own hands. Their efforts lead them on a comedic chase to gather the puzzle pieces needed to create the First Folio – the first printed version of the stories we know today.    

The Art Museum of West Virginia University has received an Access for All Grant from the Art Bridges Foundation to fund educational projects through the next three years.  

The Access for All Grant is the fourth partnership between Art Bridges Foundation and the Art Museum of WVU. Art Bridges has previously supported the Blanche Lazzell traveling exhibition and the Bridge Ahead Initiative to help the museum connect with the community remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Art Museum also worked with Art Bridges on implementing Collaboration for Ongoing Visitor Surveys (COVES), which helps the museum learn about visitor demographics and experiences.  

BFA in Musical Theatre